1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of telecommunications infrastructures that use Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) call management and a public data network to establish simultaneous voice and data (multimedia) communications between such telecommunications infrastructures. In particular, this invention relates to a way by which a telecommunications infrastructure uses a single telephone directory number to call another telecommunications infrastructure located on a different communication network to establish multimedia communications therebetween.
2. Description of the Problem Solved
Traditional telephone systems use an analog telephone to transmit voice over telephone lines. If a telephone user has only one telephone line, the user cannot perform two telecommunications tasks simultaneously. Typically, if a user wishes to initiate a voice communication and a data connection, the user must use separate PSTN telephone lines for each. This means that a user must pay additional monthly charges for the extra line. In view of the wide commercial and private use of the Internet, it is desirable to merge voice and data into an integrated communications session, i.e., where two users communicate via voice and data over one line. There are data communications systems that include voice capability, for example, where the voice communications path is sent to a user through the user""s personal computer.
Such a system, however, makes use of some type of voice-data conversion, such as voice-over-Internet-protocol, resulting in lower quality voice communications than is typical of the PSTN. Additionally, most multimedia telecommunications systems do not permit close integration of desktop applications such as office suites, presentation software, word processing software and the like. One exception is Microsoft Net meeting JM software, which integrates voice and data telecommunications. However, because of the voice-data conversion, the quality of the voice communications is poor.
Computer software products, such as marketed by the assignee of the present application under the mark Voice Button(trademark), allow a PSTN call to be initiated from a computer user interface, however, the call is not closely integrated with any sort of data communications system and does not allow application sharing. Additionally, such a call cannot be initiated from within desktop computer application suites. A description of a way a phone call can be initiated from a computer desktop can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,858 and is assigned to the same assignee as this application and is herein incorporated by reference.
A typical telephone call is initiated manually by voice contact and the data communication takes place via H.323 or a T.120 compliant data agent such as a TCP/IP network, e.g., the Internet. Thus, using known technology, to establish a multimedia telecommunications session, a calling user must know the telephone number and the computer address, IP address or Domain Name System (DNS) name of the called user. The calling user must also initiate the telephone call and data connection separately. However, it is now possible to establish a voice connection initiated over the PSTN and a data connection via a TCP/IP network between telecommunications infrastructures located within a single xe2x80x9cprivate communicationxe2x80x9d (a network having private address spaces and restricted interconnectivity) such as a corporate intranet as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,389 (Collaboration System), which is assigned to the same assignee as this application and is incorporated herein by reference. A xe2x80x9ctelecommunications infrastructurexe2x80x9d is defined for the purposes of this disclosure as a user""s telephone and computer typically sitting on the user""s xe2x80x9ccomputer desktop.xe2x80x9d A telecommunications infrastructure can also include a private branch exchange (PBX), computer telephony integration (CTI) server, as well as other communications devices and systems known in the art.
As described in the Collaboration System application, a user of a telecommunications infrastructure need only initiate one call to establish a PSTN voice and an associated data connection with another telecommunications infrastructure. However, the Collaboration System requires that the calling user have local access to the IP address of the called user""s computer. The Collaboration System can establish only a multimedia communication between two xe2x80x9ctelecommunications infrastructuresxe2x80x9d located within the same private network, such as a corporate intranet, and cannot establish such a multimedia communication initiated by a single telephone call through the PSTN between two separate private networks.
One known telecommunications technology that can transmit both voice and data communications in digital form is the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). For ISDN to be applied between two systems, both must comply with the standard H.320, a well known telecommunications platform standard of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which defines the interoperability between video and voice for video conferencing over ISDN. However, the ISDN is not widely employed, requires special terminals, and is expensive. The present invention recognizes that it would be highly desirable for customers located on different private networks, which have not paid the high service charges to access ISDN, to be able to use the PSTN to inexpensively establish an integrated voice and data (multimedia) communications session therebetween.
Thus, what is needed is a way to automatically establish an integrated data and high-quality PSTN voice communication session between a traditional analog telephony loop telecommunications infrastructure of one private network and another telecommunications infrastructure located on another private network.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method that allows a customer without ISDN capability to establish an integrated data and high-quality PSTN voice communication between it and another telecommunications infrastructure existing on a separate private network.
Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the need to use an ISDN to establish an integrated high quality voice and data communication session.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus comprising telecommunications infrastructures existing on separate communication networks (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cprivate networksxe2x80x9d), including computer software of the invention residing therein to utilize standard ITU protocols to automatically and simultaneously establish a voice connection over the PSTN and a data connection via a public data network and a method for establishing such voice and data connections.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus comprising telecommunications infrastructures existing on separate private networks to automatically transfer over the PSTN the respective computer addresses of each telecommunications infrastructure computer to the other utilizing standard ITU protocols, and a method for transferring such computer addresses over the PSTN.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus whereby a user of a first telecommunications infrastructure can establish a multimedia connection with a second telecommunications infrastructure located on a separate private communications network, without the first telecommunications infrastructure knowing or having local access to the computer address of the second telecommunications infrastructure computer.
The present invention enhances overall human telecommunications by providing voice with data and application sharing communication between non-ISDN customers located on different private networks, such as corporate intranets.
With the present invention, a customer or user, with no knowledge or local access to the called user""s computer address, need only initiate one telephone call to establish a PSTN voice session originating through the PSTN, and an associated data session established over a public data network connection. According to the present invention, a calling user makes a standard telephone call (using a single directory number) to a called user located on a separate private network. If both parties happen to have H.323 or T.120 capability and the software of the invention, then they will be offered the multi-media session. The environment that the present invention typically operates in is a network which includes telecommunications infrastructures connected to a PSTN, and a public data network which has a service provider point of presence for providing the public data network connection to each infrastructure. Each telecommunications infrastructure may have a computer telephony server and in such event, each server would be connected to the PSTN and the public data network.
The present invention may be implemented using a PBX, which is a telecommunications switch at a user""s premises that handles call management. A PBX is typically used by larger organizations. The invention operates to allow a user of a first infrastructure (referred to hereinafter as User1) to set up a multimedia connection with a user of a second infrastructure (referred to hereinafter as User2) located in a separate private network by making a telephone call to User2 through the PSTN. According to the present invention, upon User1 making a telephone call to User2, and establishing a traditional voice session between traditional telephony loops, an end-serving switch (PBX or central office) will signal through the PSTN to User2 located on a private network the address of User1""s computer via an initial message (INM) signal. In response thereto, end-serving switch associated with User2 will insert User2""s computer address in an address completed message (ACM) or answer message (ANM) and transfer the ACM or ANM end-serving switch of User1. User1 initiates connect messages to User1""s computer, whereupon data and voice connections between the two separate private networks are established. In other words, when User1 uses a telecommunications infrastructure of the present invention to make a telephone call to User2, the apparatus and method of the present invention serve to automatically and simultaneously establish both a voice and data connection therebetween.
The software, which implements many aspects of the present invention, can be stored on a medium. The medium can be magnetic such as in the form of a diskette, tape or fixed disk, or optical such as a CD-ROM. Alternatively, the software can be supplied via the Internet or some type of private data network.